White House officials have confirmed to Fox News that Robert Mueller indeed was pursuing the open post as the Director of the FBI when he met with President Trump in May of 2017 — Mueller previously denied this under oath.

Via Fox News producer Jake Gibson: EXCLUSIVE: Multiple administration officials tell @BretBaier and myself that when Robert Mueller met with President Trump in May of 2017, Mueller was indeed pursuing the open post as the director of the FBI – something the former Russia probe special counsel denied under oath.

EXCLUSIVE: Multiple administration officials tell @BretBaier and myself that when Robert Mueller met with President Trump in May of 2017, Mueller was indeed pursuing the open post as the director of the FBI – something the former Russia probe special counsel denied under oath.

President Trump has repeatedly stated that Robert Mueller should never have been allowed to be appointed as special counsel because “he wanted the job of FBI director and he didn’t get it.”

This shows an obvious conflict of interest on top of the fact that Mueller and Comey were friends.

Robert Mueller in July testified to Congress that he was not a candidate for FBI Director.

“When you talked to President Trump the day before you were appointed as special counsel, you were talking to him about FBI director position again. Did he mention the firing of James Comey?” Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) asked.

Mueller interrupted Gohmert and said that he had not discussed the role “as a candidate.”

WATCH:

Government documents show evidence to the contrary.

Not only was Mueller pursuing the open position of FBI Director, he was already secretly talking to then-DAG Rod Rosenstein about being appointed special counsel to investigate President Trump.

This means while Mueller was sitting in his meeting with Trump in May of 2017, he knew he had a way to retaliate if Trump didn’t offer him the Directorship job — and that’s exactly what Mueller did.

These officials also told Fox News government documents showed Mueller was pursuing the job as a candidate himself.

It came as emails released this month through a Freedom of Information Act request by the conservative group Judicial Watch seemed to indicate Mueller knew there was a real possibility he could be named special counsel if he wasn’t chosen as the next FBI director.

“The boss and his staff do not know about our discussions,” then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in an email to Mueller on May 12, 2017. Rosenstein’s boss was then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had recused himself from the Russia probe, meaning the president would not have known either.

A source close to Rosenstein confirmed to Fox News that he had confidential conversations with Mueller about whether he would be willing to serve in the event he needed to appoint a special counsel. These conversations began on May 12, 2017, prior to Mueller’s meeting with the president on May 16, 2017, the source acknowledged.

John Dowd, who served as the president’s attorney during the probe, ripped Mueller for meeting with Trump, calling it the “most dishonorable conduct I have ever witnessed.” He added, “Capt. Robert Mueller, USMC, sits in front of his commander-in-chief being interviewed for FBI director knowing he is going to investigate the president and never says a word.”